Sub-cross bars



April 28, 1964 C. R. JOHNSTON SUBCROSS BARS Filed June 10. 1959 INVENTOR. Amish/WW7 1m" flrmen ays- United States Patent 3,130,689 SUB-CROSS BARS Charles Richard Johnston, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Transco Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 10, 1959, Ser. No. 819,454 1 Claim. (Cl. 105-369) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a sub-cross bar for freight loading and more particularly to a sub-cross bar employed in lattice like freight loading.

An object of my invention is in the provision in a device of this character of telescopically arranged sections for the ready accommodation of varying distances between freight retaining bars with which the device of my invention is operatively associated.

Another object of my invention is in the provision in a device of this character of a means for positively positioning said device in fixed relation to its associated freight retaining bars.

Another object of my invention is in the provision in a device of this character of a freight retaining bar engaging means carried at the opposite ends of the subcross bar.

Yet another object of my invention is in the provision in a device of this character of a spring means for normally urging telescopically arranged sections into confronting position with freight retaining bars with which it is operatively associated.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of my improved sub-cross bars in operative relation to freight retaining bars within a freight transporting vehicle;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational view of my improved sub-cross bar in operative position with respect to freight retaining bars; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of my improved sub-cross bar.

My invention is primarily constructed to be used in conjunction with freight retaining bars such as is shown and described in my United States Letters Patent No. 2,806,436.

As shown in FIG. 1, the freight retaining bars are adapted to be selectively positioned between the side walls 11 of a freight conveyor or the like. These bars 10 have at each end thereof an attaching head 12 which are releasably attached to rail members 13 carried internally of the side walls 11. As illustrated in FIG. 1, these bars 10 are employed to position and retain the freight 14 from horizontal movement within the conveyor. It should also be noted that the freight bars 10 may also be employed to separate layers of individual freight packages.

Each of the bars 10 comprises a substantially Z-shaped metal frame 15. Two wood inserts 16 are attached to the frame by bolts 17 as seen in, the sectional view of FIG. 2. Each of the laterally extending arms of the Z-shaped metal frame 15 are provided with a plurality of apertures 18, the purpose of which will be hereinafter made apparent.

The sub-cross bar of my invention comprises a rectangular member 19. This member 19 comprises telescopically arranged sections 20 and 21. Section 20 is of an enlarged cross sectional area and contains therein an expansion spring 22.

Section 21 is of a size to freely move into the hollow interior of section 20 against the action of the spring 22. Section 20 is provided with an open end 23 which provides an inwardly extending lip 24 about such opening. The section 21 provides an enlarged head 25 which is positioned within the section 20 and is of such a size so as to be restricted from passing out the open end 23 of section 20 as seen in FIG. 3.

Each of the sections 20 and 21 at their free ends are provided with means for embracing the freight retaining bars 10 in such a manner so as to maintain the cross bar 19 perpendicular to the freight retaining bar 10. These embracing means comprise substantially U-shaped members 26 and 26 carried by the opposite free end of sections 20 and 21. The laterally extending arms 27 and 28 of these U-shaped members 26 and 26 are adapted to extend in opposite directions with respect to each other.

That is, the U-shaped member 26 which is carried by the free end of section 20 will have the arms. 27 and 28 thereof extending outwardly in a direction opposite to the open end of section 20. The U-shaped member 26' attached to the free end of the section 21 will have its arms 27' and 28' extending in a direction away from the open end of section 20, as viewed in FIG. 2. Each of the U-shaped members 26 and 26' provides a positive positioning means which is adapted to cooperate with the apertures 18 formed in the arms of the Z-shaped metal frame 15. This positive positioning means consists of a pin 29 carried by the U-shaped members 26 and 26 and extending in the same longitudinal plane with respect to the sections 20 and 21. These pins 29 are of a length equal to, and extend in a spaced parallel direction with respect to the arms 27 and 28, and 27' and 28 of the U-shaped members 26 and 26.

It is desirous to have the apertures 18 which are formed in two opposite sides of the freight retaining bars 10 staggered or offset with respect to each other. That is to say, the apertures 18 formed in the side face of the freight retaining bar will have their corresponding apertures 18 formed in the opposite side face of the freight retaining bar It), offset through a vertical plane with respect to the bar when it is in a horizontal position This affords a horizontal spacing adjustment between parallely extending sub-cross bars merely by reversing the side of the freight retaining bar 10 to which the subcross bar 19 is to be attached.

In actual operation, it is readily seen that the freight 14 may be placed within the walls 11 of the freight carrier and be held against parallel movement with respect to such side walls 11 by the use of freight retaining bars 10 and at the same time be held against opposite movement perpendicular to the side walls by the use of the sub-cross bars 19. Such a method of loading as illustrated in FIG. 1 is known in the trade as lattice loading and it is with this particular type of freight handling that my sub-cross bar is adapted to be associated.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. 1, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

The combination of a freight retaining member having an elongated rectangularly shaped body adapted to extend between and be adjustably connected to opposite side walls of a freight car, said body comprising a substantially Z-shaped frame with the opposite extending J! parallel arms thereof provided with a plurality of aligned apertures extending throughout the longitudinal length of said frame, with the apertures of one arm in a plane offset horizontally With respect to the apertures formed in the other arm of said frame, a cross bar adapted to extend between spaced freight retaining members at preselected points along the longitudinal length thereof for cooperating with said members to position and retain freight Within a freight car, said cross bars having telescopically arranged sections, each of said sections provided at opposite ends with means for connecting said cross bar to spaced freight retaining members, said con necting means comprising an enlarged substantially U- shaped end member having the spaced apart arms thereof extending in corresponding opposite directions and parallel to the longitudinal plane of said cross bar, said spaced apart arms of said end members adapted to embrace said freight retaining member and one arm of said frame, each of said end members providing a connecting pin extending laterally therefrom between said spaced apart arms thereof and out of the longitudinal mid-plane of said cross bar for insertion into selected apertures formed in said frame, said pin cooperating with said spaced apart arms of said end members for preventing movement of said cross bar transversely to the longitudinal length of said freight retaining member, and said pins cooperating with the selected apertures formed in said frame for preventing movement of said cross bar longitudinally of said freight retaining member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,546,929 Nampa Mar. 27, 1951 2,608,420 Eck Aug. 26, 1952 2,679,214 Nampa May 25, 1954 2,685,876 Sanderson Aug. 10, 1954 2,873,695 Tobin -a Feb. 17, 1959 2,894,462 Newcomer et a1. July 14, 1959 

